Hobart Departure?

 

We packed the car after breakfast and set off for the airport. Our direct flight was due to depart at 10.30am which should have had us touching down in Perth around mid afternoon.

Mum's flight to Brisbane was scheduled half an our before us. With much sadness, we said our goodbyes and off she went.

It all went a bit pear-shaped after that. Boarding was delayed and not long after, we saw that our plane's engine cowel was open. Hobart is a quiet airport with minumal aircraft maintanence facilities so this wasn't a good sign. After a couple of hours, we were re-booked onto an alternate aircraft that didn't leave until late afternoon and was heading to Brisbane, of all places.

We thought we would have to stay overnight at mum's but the connecting flight to Perth landed us at home at 10.30pm Perth time. It was an unfortunate ordeal after an otherwise very enjoyable holiday.

Constitution Docks

 

I woke up early this morning for some reason. I poked my nose out the door and noticed that the smoke haze had finally gone. I decided to grab my camera and head down to the water front.

Early mornings are my favourite time of day for photography. The soft light and still air makes for some wonderful photos.

In hind sight, the clear skies would have made for a better Mount Wellington experience this morning rather than yesterday, but time wasn't our friend,

As the sun started the dominate the sky, they photo quality started to faulter so I packed it in and went back for breakfast & to pack for the flight home.

Derwent Cruise

 

We took a lunch cruise around the Derwent harbour area on the Spirit of Hobart, decked out in the same paint scheme as the Ferries running out of Devenport.

The boat left from very close to the Salamanca Market place (above), which looked completely different to the crazy tent city we had visited on Saturday.

The cruise wasn't breath taking by any stretch of the imagination, but it was nice just to chill out listening to the comentary about the history of the area.

Mount Wellington

The smoke haze from the bush fires is still lingering this morning. Today is our last full day in Tasmania so this morning was our last chance to go up to the summit of Mount Wellington.

The drive to the summit (elevation 1,271m above sea level) is pretty windy and takes about half an hour to get there from the waterfront. It was already 24 degrees down in the city and were expecting a bit of a reprieve at the top. (The rule of thumb is 6.5°C/km of elevation gain.)

We got a reprieve and some! So much for 6.5°C/km. The wind chill factor and a menacing storm combined to bring the temperature down under 5°C. There was a weather station there to back up our shivering.

This wind-swept rocky landscape, that is also covered in snow part of the year, is a hostile environment that allows only small shrubs to cling to the edge of existence.

The views of Hobart and surrounding environs are very impressive. It was just a shame that the smoke haze and some cloud cover ruined it a little.

Tasmanian Museum - Dinosaurs Take Flight

Sortly after lunch, Harry & I went to the Tasmanian Museum to check out the special exhibition.

'Dinosaurs Take Flight' has an array of exhibits tracking the evolution of feathers on dinosaurs leading to the emergence of birds. They vary from intricate small fossils captured in slate...

.... to massive Cerotopsian skulls....

... and impressive life-like animatronic models.

Salamanca Markets & Constitution Docks

Happy Australia Day!
We were so glad to wake up to clean air this morning! The wind had changed direction so we didn't have to deal with our lungs being choked at long last. Today is Saturday, so it is Salamanca Markets day in Hobart. Now, let's be clear. I'm not a markets person to the point where I actively avoid them. I dislike the over priced junk most of the stalls sell and would rather stay clear of the crowds. However.... The Salamanca Markets are a totally different level!

These markets are huge! Located on the historic Princess wharf outside the original Salamanca Market buildings, the stall tents seem to go on forever.

There are loads of people (unfortunately), but the contents of the rows for stalls is of a much higher quality. During this tour, we have found the fresh produce to be exceptional and that markets have that in spades!

You can buy almost anything there, from hand crafted art pieces....

...to flowers.

And from chocolate, cheese and honey........

.... to crochet hooks and knitting needles.

And from lavendar products....

... to Gin. And everything else in between. It was very impressive.

Also, among the stalls, were various types of entertainers. Some, pretty average, and some, like Cary Lewincamp (above), were really very talented.

There are more permanent shops in the Market building and with them, art pieces, eateries and playgound features.

There was a limit to mine & Harry's tolerance, so we left Kerri & mum to keep doing market things while we set off to Constitution Docks to check out the boats & anything else we could find.

The docks are home to the full spectrum of boats, from the smallest run-abouts and fishing boats...

To Cruise ships. Some of the more interesting ones follow...

We are booked on the The Spirit of Hobart (in the same scheme as the ferries in Devenport) for a harbour cruise tomorrow.

One of the pilot boats that servie the harbour.

This enormous trimarran ferry was bound for Italy having been built in Tasmania.

A float plane docked near the cruise ship.

Tug boats.

And seal sculptures. No shortage of things to see.

Just before lunchtime, we set off out the back of the Salamanca dock buildings and up Kelly's Steps (above) which lead up to Battery point.

I'm not sure what we thought we'd find on Battery Point, but we didn't find it. There were lots of heritage cottages but nothing overly interesting like a canon or some sort of military post.

Harry did manage to meet a new friend.